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Posted by Bill Pranty on 01:19:52 08/17/11
In Reply to: Aratinga Parakeet Questions posted by Jacob Drucker
Hi Jacob,
Thanks for posting your photos -- and especially for allowing them to be downloaded.
No question about it: Aratinga ID is probably the trickiest genus in Florida, and I'm not excluding Empidonax(.Empids have the advantage of much study and adequate coverage in field guides).
Not even the best parrot guides adequately illustrate all the subadult plumages of the Aratinga (or of the Amazona) -- and no parrot guide includes hybrids.
I think I see Scarlet-fronted Parakeets in some of your images, and definitely some White-eyeds. In my experience -- and tale this as you will -- Green parakeets seem to have narrowish gray orbital rings, whereas the other Aratinga have bold white rings. I don't see any candidates among your photos that I would call Greens.
As to hybrids, who knows? It would take careful study and much photo-documentation of nesting pairs to determine to what extent hybridzation is occurring.
Hope this is at least somewhat helpful.
Best regards,
Bill Pranty
Bayonet Point, Florida
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